


Dragon Marital Customs (got xirself a husband in the war)

by Bhelryss



Series: Personal Trope Bingo Board [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: 5+1 Things, Accidental Marriage, M/M, horrified screeching i hope i did this okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 09:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6369370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bhelryss/pseuds/Bhelryss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for personal bingo board: accidental marriage<br/>ship requested: Xane/Marth<br/>for tumblr user krismarth / ao3 user xanemarths</p>
<p>It's much less "accidental marriage" so much as it is "5 times that Marth accidentally expresses increasingly more sincere/extreme Dragon Marital customs that end lead up to marriage, and the one time Xane reciprocated on purpose."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dragon Marital Customs (got xirself a husband in the war)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xanemarths](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanemarths/gifts).



It shouldn’t be this amusing, watching Marth stumble through something he has no idea he’s actually doing. Something simple like the presentation of a flower, “Is it not pretty, Xane?” Has xem laughing so hard it  _ hurts _ . “Xane? Whatever is so funny?”

The flower screams to xem, ‘ _ I hold inappropriate passions for you _ ’, in the language of flowers and plants that’s been learned by dragonkind for millennia. Sometimes xe wonders why they’d even need a flower to say that, but it’s just so funny when Marth accidentally says these things. (The next flower Marth points out means, ‘ _ I want to bear you many children, many...many children, over the remainder of our lives _ ,’ and at that point Xane has to become a village girl and disappear for a few hours to laugh and cry.)

“It’s nothing, Princey, don’t worry your little head about it. Now, where were we.” xe says magnanimously, and xe can tell it puts Princey’s poor hackles up, but. Worth it.

* * *

A week later, Marth is humming to himself, packing away his tent with a stubbornness that is endearing and also somehow incredibly stupid. Honestly, how humans picked up a Divine Tribe  _ wedding march _ is beyond him. “Something special happening today, Princey?” Xane drawls, hair an identical shade of blue to the Altean prince’s but wearing Jeigan’s wrinkly face.

Marth laughs, and it’s a high and clear note that has xem wriggling uncomfortably for just a moment. “Mm, not particularly. Just moving camp again, you know how it is. Did you come to help or?” He barely blinks at Jeigan’s face, only a tiny upwards twitch of his lips to mark his reaction, though his gaze lingers on the blue hair. And then he scowls.

Princey scowls so beautifully. It’s an art, not many people do the expression justice the way Marth does. Xane wants to stare into a mirror and wear that scowl for hours. Just to ingrain exactly how perfectly the prince contorts his face into xir mind.

* * *

Marth’s tent trends towards a controlled chaos. The nest of blankets and pillows and soft fabrics resembles a nest, and the Altean Prince enjoys bunkering down in the center with half-lidded eyes. Xane only half-jokingly calls it a hoard.

The first night of the very first cold snap of the year, Marth bullies xem into his tent. “I will not be responsible for giving you a cold, Xane. I shall not hear another word, it is absolutely freezing outside, and I have plenty of room in my tent.” 

And, Xane forgets what exactly Princey says after that, because Marth literally invites xem to sleep in the pile of blankets. Literally in the prince’s  _ hoard _ . That’s so  _ personal _ , such a  _ blatant sexual overture _ , that xe spends the remainder of the night internally screaming instead of sleeping. 

“O-okay.” Xane says, despite xir little voice of reason screaming in the back of xir mind. Xe can’t make eye contact with Princey, even as xe is getting comfy right next to him.

* * *

The army stops for a rest in a tiny town, resupply and relax. Just for a moment. “Xane, take this.” And Marth shoves an entire basket of fruit into xir arms. Xir mind goes blank, because a fruit basket is a  _ declaration of bedroom intentions _ . Of the  **_permanent and marital sort_ ** . “You will enjoy those, I think.” Princey singsongs, “The farmer and her husband said that had very strong flavors, I know you enjoy...Are you quite alright?”

Xane’s voice breaks high, a perfect match for the fisherman’s pubescent son from the wharf - who’d heckled and tried to entice customers despite the way his voice would jump octaves, “What? No, of course, Princey.” Thankfully, they’re both away from the foot traffic, and Xane is free to shift to a bulkier form, one that doesn’t blush easily. 

Marth takes the change in stride, merely insisting that Xane use “his” newfound muscles to carry the basket. (Xane thinks privately that xe will never let it go.)

* * *

At this point in xir relationship with Marth and the rest of the humans, Xane is pretty sure there’s nothing left for Marth to do that will surprise xem. Together they’ve bumbled through flower declarations, musical insinuations, and a _couple of_ obscene accidental invitations for sex, that Xane is so very sure that nothing worse can happen.

“Xane!!” Marth calls, smiling broadly and waving. “I wanted to give you a gift. It is only going to get colder from here on out, you know.” Princey begins, one hand holding a package close to his chest. The other rests on his hip, and Xane feels dread.

“Ah, Princey, you didn’t need to get me anything, honest. I’m good for any weather.” And, just to show xe’s telling the truth, Xane chooses a form that’s wearing heavy furs. It’s disgustingly hot in the direct sunshine, and this form sweats like a bastard, but the point has clearly been made.

“Yes, but,” Marth protests, and shoves the paper wrapped package into xir’s hands. “I refuse to have you walking up a snowy mountain without some sort of jacket.” And Xane groans.

With the declarations of intent, the wedding march, and the sex invites (emphasis on the plural), this is just.

Xe swears, even as xe plasters a bright smile to xir face. “Princey, you shouldn’t have.” Clothes, it had to be clothes. Complimentary colors to the prince’s own winter cape, too. Together with the flowers, the humming, the….hoard.

_ Well _ , Xane thinks, xir throat suddenly dry and with the sudden urge to laugh hysterically,  _ shit _ .

_ I think I just got a fiance _ .

* * *

Half of Marth’s close circle is aware that Xane picks up rocks. Xe gives the really good ones to Marth, claims they’re a traditional Divine Tribe gift for close friends. Tiki giggles when xe isn’t paying too close attention, and pats Marth’s hand. “Xe  _ likes _ you, Mar-Mar,” she says with a yawn, before wandering back towards “Ban-Ban” and warm Fire Tribe hugs. Marth smiles, confused, at her retreating back and goes back to talking with his hands.

Xane would never be caught dead telling Marth the truth. Tiki knows, because she is Divine Tribe the way xe used to be, Bantu because he’s Tiki’s caretaker and friend. Neither says anything to the royal, thank the powers that be. As far as xe can tell, Marth has no idea that with every rock gift (and each means a slightly different things, but it’s all in the same vein), Xane is saying, “I love you, I do.” And, “Let’s get married.”

And once, with a geode that sparkled just right, “I take you for my only love, none other shall I have.” 

Marth doesn’t understand. So very few do, these days. Xe knows. Xe  _ knows _ , that Marth will never know. Tiki won’t tell him, Bantu has no right. Xane will never tell him. Everything Marth does that means something to xem on that level is purely coincidence.

And yet, xe still forgets to breathe when Marth presents him with an equally beautiful geode that he’d painstakingly searched for.


End file.
